Six Senses Phuket Raceweek 2009 ended with a day of nail-bitingly close racing, with a strong incoming current adding to a tension-filled finish to determine who would end the series victorious.

Although the wind eased up on the last day of racing, there was enough for two more races to be run, which completed the entire program. Handling the strong incoming current became a big issue and the determining factor in the final results.

Certainly in the first race of the day, the yachts that went offshore realised their mistake, as the yachts that favoured the Koh Lon shore generally rounded the top mark first. Then it became a matter of either playing catch up or the front runners extending their lead.

Coming into the final day Ray Roberts DK46, Evolution Sails, held a slender three point lead over Neil Pryde’s Hi Fi. Neil Pryde’s crew were up and at it early with an air of confidence in their stride and struck gold early by winning both of the day's races. Ray Roberts was behind by only 34 seconds in Race 7 and 41 seconds in Race 8, which reduced the overall points lead down to one for Roberts to claim the title in the IRC Racing Class on his first outing at Raceweek from last year’s winner Pryde. Talk about coming down to the wire! Two third places for Peter Ahern’s Farr 40, Yo!2 placed them in third overall.

Jaray Tipsuk’s all Thai crew on the Platu 25 Mitrmitri climbed onto the top of the overall standings yesterday and by winning both races today, firmly stands on the top of the podium in the hotly contested IRC 1 Class. This is a great achievement for the Thai team that raised 5,000 baht per sponsor and then plastered the names all over the hull of the boat. Peter Dyer’s Madame Butterfly took second and Niels Degenkolw’s Phoenix held off the chasing pack, including Stuart Williamson’s two-race winner, Skandia Endeavour of Whitby, to claim third place.

Andrew de Bruin’s Ron Swanson Sloop, Awatea, has been on form all through the regatta and by keeping a clean scoresheet they take home the Club Charter Class title for the second year running. Horst Lakits crew on the Swan 55 Big A secured second overall. Rob Azzopardi’s Prosafe Cunning Plan held third place overall by the end of the day.

The battle royal between Henry Kaye and Fergus Wilmer’s Sea Cart 30, Thor, and Grenville Fordham’s newly launched Andaman Cabriolet, skippered by designer Alan Carwadine, came gracefully to an end. Winning the starts, showing a good turn of speed and being in front of the Corsairs won Da Vinci Niña six out of eight races and the Multihull title on her first aggressive outing. Henry Kaye put up a valiant fight for the title this year, but had to settle on second place. Neil Ayre’s Shanghai Baby picked up a well-earned third place overall.

Race report courtesy of www.phuketraceweek.com

Click here for full Day 4 results.

Click here for the Series results.